


Tempest Of My Heart

by ardentaislinn



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, F/F, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Lesbian Character, Secret Identity, Superheroes, ToT: Chocolate Box
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 06:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8361433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardentaislinn/pseuds/ardentaislinn
Summary: What did a superpowered person with a secret identity even do on a date? Talking to pretty women was hard enough when you were normal.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sumi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/gifts).



> Thanks so much for the great ideas! I hope you like what I've done with your suggestions.

A bolt of purple electricity shot past her. Aura twisted and spun out of the way, the energy passing so close that her arm hairs stood on end beneath her supersuit.

Nemesis was ahead of her, preparing for another shot with his—at least, she presumed it was a him under that suit—bolts of power. The city lay beneath them, vulnerable, and far too awake for this time of night, if the lights from the buildings were anything to go by. The people must have been watching.

Aura braced herself, pushing wind from her palms to direct her flight. She shot up, closer to the clouds, trying to draw Nemesis’ line of fire away from the spectators below.

The next bolt barely missed her feet. Aura’s heart beat faster, fear and anticipation combining into a heady mix. She held out her hand, intending to fire back a return shot of wind or lightning, but she hesitated.

She wasn’t used to this. It was her first official outing as Tempest against another powered individual. Usually The Ember Dart—superheroine extraordinaire, with precision control of both flight and flame—would be the one taking on any supervillain that got too big for their boots. But for some reason, this time she was nowhere to be seen.

Aura didn’t have nearly the experience that The Ember Dart did. The Ember Dart was magnificent in the air; her fights were won with balletic precision. Aura spent half her time feeling wildly jealous, and the other half in deep admiration.

Aura had been practicing the control of her powers on low-life criminals since The Incident had given her these gifts. But she still hadn’t quite mastered them.

Nemesis’ hand shot out, and Aura wasn’t fast enough to dodge the sizzling electricity. It pierced her side, a sharp stab of pain. Her head swam, and black crept into her vision. Aura’s left hand automatically went to press against the wound—cauterised, still smoking—while her right aimed out in front of her on pure instinct.

Wind and lightning burst forth, whipping around her. She tried to focus on Nemesis, on directing her power towards him, but her pain and fear was too much. The wind became a roaring frenzy, the lightning strikes shooting off at random angles. The swirling mass built in power, becoming an uncontrollable maelstrom.

The raging wind picked Nemesis up and carried him away into the night. She could no longer see him within the storm.

The hurricane slipped from her fingers, becoming something apart from her—its own thing, living beyond her, not obeying her command. She tried to pull it back but it was already too big, too powerful, spreading out over the city.

The pain in her side overwhelmed her, and Aura fell, unable to keep herself in flight. She plummeted to the ground, her cape fluttering around her. She managed to keep consciousness long enough to break her fall with a final puff of wind.

People, concern written on their faces, hovered at the edge of her vision. She took a moment to catch her breath, trying to bypass the pain. After a moment, she slowly levered herself to her feet, and gently pushed past the curious crowd.

The whispers followed her. “Did you see that storm she made? It hit half the city!” and “I think I saw one of the skyscrapers collapse.”

No one came after her as she disappeared into the night.

\---

Tonight was the night.

After months of putting it off and avoiding the event any way she could, Aura finally had to face it.

Date night.

What a nightmare. To make it worse, it was a blind date. She’d never met the woman her friend had set her up with. She knew nothing about her except that her name was Bridget, she was bisexual, and she was apparently really pretty.

But Marci hadn’t taken no for an answer when Aura had tried to get out of it, so here she was, trying to find an outfit that was both cute and hid her supersuit underneath it. Not an easy task.

What did a superpowered person with a secret identity even  _ do _ on a date? Talking to pretty women was hard enough when you were normal. Aura hadn’t gone out since The Incident. She didn’t like lying to people—particularly not those close to her—but it was too dangerous to involve a civilian in her life. Both because Aura and those she loved might be targeted by a supervillain or government agency, and because she was sure there had to be a warrant out for her arrest--or  even a threat of assassination-- after her first, and last, disastrous attempt at playing a superheroine.

Thankfully, no one had been killed when her storm had raged out of control across the city. A few minor injuries and some heavy property damage, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. Still, she must be a wanted woman behind closed doors. The newspaper headlines alone—‘Tempest Trouble’ and ‘Tempest Totals Town’ were her particular favourites. If the city found out who she really was, she’d be done for.

She was tempted to hang up the supersuit for good. And she would, as soon as The Ember Dart came back. She couldn’t leave the city unprotected—what little protection she could offer—so she had to stick around until the true superheroine returned.

Frustrated, Aura dumped another outfit on the ground and let out a sigh. Why was just deciding what to wear so damn stressful? She didn’t have time for this. She should be training her powers, so she didn’t screw up again, not agonising over looking cute for a girl she didn’t even know.

She reached for her phone, intending to cancel the date, but realised she didn’t have Bridget’s number. Besides, she was supposed to be at the restaurant in fifteen minutes. Bridget would no doubt be on her way.

Aura would just have to find interesting topics of conversation that skirted anything super. Surely she could think of other things to talk about?

Frustrated with herself and the roiling nerves in her stomach, Aura grabbed the first outfit she’d tried on and shrugged into it. She slipped on her glasses, fluffed her hair, and did a final check in the mirror.

She’d have to do.

\---

Bridget had chosen a sweet little downtown restaurant. With low lighting, quirky décor, and ‘scrumptious’ Italian food according to that one Yelp reviewer, it was bound to be a winner.

If Bridget ever arrived.

She was only five minutes late, but with Aura’s nerves, it felt like five hours. What would Aura say when Bridget arrived? Would she let slip about her extracurricular activities? If her identity was discovered, would she be punished or ostracised by the city? Would she scare Bridget away?

Aura was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn’t notice the flame-haired woman until she was standing across the table from her. Marci had been wrong about her. She wasn’t just pretty. She was stunning.

Her eyes were the green of the Irish hills, and her smile—hesitant as it was—made Aura feel like a Christmas tree had been lit inside her.

“Aura?” the woman asked. Aura managed a nod, trying to blink some sense back into her brain.

“Hi,” she breathed. She cleared her throat. “You must be Bridget.”

The woman’s smile bloomed and Aura’s stomach flipped.  _ Oh no. _

“That’s me.” Bridget slid into the chair opposite her.

Aura cast about for something—anything—to talk about. “How are you?” she asked.  _ Smooth.  _ Aura barely avoided rolling her eyes at herself.

“Fine. I just got in from out of town, actually. I was visiting some relatives up north.” So she was close to her family, if her relaxed smile was anything to go by. Aura took that as a good sign.

Bridget continued. “How have things been lately? With the city, I mean. No major disasters?” Her expression was earnest.

Aura cleared her throat. “Nemesis came back about a week ago.”

All the blood drained from Bridget’s face. She leaned forward, her eyes bright with urgency. “ _ What? _ What happened? How many died? Where is he now?”

Aura blinked. She really should have avoided this conversation topic. It was far too close to home. “No one died. A few injuries and some property damage, but nothing irreplaceable.”

Bridget tilted her head. “But how can that be? Nemesis is so dangerous, and-”

Aura swallowed, cursing herself for having steered the conversation in this direction.  _ The one thing she’d told herself not to do _ .  “Um…a new superhero stopped him. It was actually them that caused the property damage, not Nemesis. They’re called Tempest.” She paused, hesitating, then plowed on. “What do you think of the name, because…”

She trailed off when she saw the strange look on Bridget’s face. It was an odd mix of relief and…was that a hint of jealousy?

“Are you okay?” Aura asked.

Bridget shook herself and smiled. The strange expression disappeared so thoroughly that Aura questioned whether she’d even seen it in the first place.

“We should order,” Bridget said.

_ Yes. Food. Good. _

They waved the waitress over, each ordering the first thing that caught their eye. They both went without wine, but neither asked the other why.

Bridget leaned forward as the waitress disappeared into the kitchen. “So, Aura, tell me about yourself. What do you do? Do you have any pets? Hobbies?”

Aura chuckled nervously. Did saving the world count as a hobby? But, then, she rolled her eyes at her own dramatics.  _ Just don’t mention the superheroine thing _ . She repeated it like a mantra.

“I don’t have a pet,” she blurted out. “I’m not at home enough for that. Working too hard. As a graphic designer, since you also asked that.” Aura winced. “How about you?” Her voice came out an octave higher than normal.

Bridget eyed Aura for a moment. “I’m a journalist. No pets, but I’m a dog person, if that matters. I don’t have that many hobbies, either, except for seeing the occasional movie.”

Aura breathed out a sigh of relief. “I’m also a dog person,” she told Bridget. Her answering smile sent Aura’s insides into a tailspin. “And I also like movies. I’m mostly a blockbuster kind of gal, though. Except for all those superhero ones.” She clamped her lips together as soon as the words slipped from her mouth. Stupid. It was far too soon to be bringing up superheroes again. Never would still be too soon.

“I’m a fan of the mindless explosions myself. But I’m with you on the superheroes. My ex-boyfriend used to drag me to some of them and I just couldn’t stand them.”

She paused, and Aura moved to fill the silence. They both spoke at the same time. “Too unrealistic.”

Their eyes met as the words tumbled from their mouths. A frisson of attraction planted itself deep within Aura, linking her to this woman. She lost herself for a moment in the deep, forest green of Bridget’s eyes.

Bridget, too, seemed to be affected. Her eyes darkened slightly as they continued to stare at each other.

Aura gave a nervous smile and wrenched her gaze away. “Well, I’m glad we have that in common. I’ll know which movies not to take you to, next time.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment as she realised what she’d said. “I mean-“

“Sounds good to me,” Bridget said. Aura opened her eyes to see Bridget smiling that megawatt smile at her. There was an innate kindness to her expression, and Aura knew, deep down, that she was a good person. That level of kindness was unfakeable.

“Okay,” Aura replied, wondering if her smile looked as goofy as it felt.

Their meals arrived, and both happily tucked into their food. The conversation ebbed and flowed. Both of them spoke at times, both listened at times, neither one dominating. Even the silences were comfortable, full of furtive glances at the other, eyes catching and inspiring smiles. Aura’s stomach stayed in a constant state of excited fluttering, now more pleasant than nauseating.

The two of them got on so well—even when they held different opinions, they were often complementary. Aura didn’t want the evening to end. She drew it out as long as possible, even ordering a coffee after dessert, though it would probably keep her bouncing off the walls all night. But eventually, she couldn’t delay any longer.

They split the bill without even discussing it. Aura’s nerves, which had disappeared over dinner, returned in full force as they stepped out of the restaurant into the crisp night air. How would they say goodbye? Would they kiss? Would Bridget say yes to a second date?

Trying to calm her mind, Aura turned her face up to the sky.

“It’s going to rain tonight,” she murmured.

Bridget hummed. “Why do you say that?”

Aura’s stomach clenched, but she managed an easy smile as she looked at Bridget. “Just something in the air.”

Too close. Again.

It was worse now that she liked Bridget. A lot. She  _ wanted _ to tell her about her other life, couldn’t bear the thought of lying to her.

But if Aura told her now, not only would she risk exposing herself to the world—possibly getting herself arrested in the process—but she would risk making Bridget afraid of her.

And she couldn’t bear that.

“What’s wrong?” Bridget asked, nudging her with one elbow. “You went quiet all of a sudden.”

Aura hesitated, but knew it wasn’t the right time to spill her secrets. “I’ve just had a lovely time. I don’t want the evening to end.” It was a truth, though not all of one.

Bridget’s pleased smile caused guilt to settle itself in Aura’s gut. Though she knew it wasn’t the right time to tell Bridget about her extracurricular activities—it was only a first date, for goodness sakes!—but it still felt like lying.

“How did you get here tonight?” Bridget asked, expression intent.

“I walked. I’m only a few blocks away.”

“How about I walk you home?” Bridget asked. There was something warm in her eyes. A heated look that made Aura feel like she’d gotten too close to one of Nemesis’ bolts of electricity. The hairs of her arm stood on end, and a pleasant tingle whispered beneath her skin.

“Sure.” Aura managed to sound cool and collected, though she felt anything but.

They strolled down the moonlit street. The world seemed so much  _ more _ . Her senses were in overdrive, picking up tastes and smells and images that she’d never noticed before.

Their hands brushed, and every nerve ending in Aura’s body stood to attention. Their hands brushed again, and she realised it wasn’t an accident. Her heart gave a single, painful thump, and she couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her face.

Words grew sparse between them. Both were content to let the moment rest, and seep into their souls.

When they reached the door to Aura’s apartment, she hesitated. A quick glance at Bridget’s face told Aura that she was thinking the same. Was a kiss in the cards?

Aura would certainly be open to it. The delicate yearning in her belly revealed the lie in that half-truth. She wanted to kiss Bridget, a perfect end to a perfect night. But did Bridget feel the same?

“How…” Bridget began. She took a deep, unsteady breath and tried again. “Can I kiss you goodnight?” she asked.

Aura couldn’t contain her grin. “Yes. Please.”

Bridget cupped Aura’s face, her expression growing intent. Her lips were soft as they pressed against Aura’s, gently at first, then with more heat. Though to an outsider it would look chaste, it was not a polite kiss. Aura could feel repressed passion through the trembling of Bridget’s hand, the gentle lean of her body.

Goosebumps rose on Aura’s arm; her hair stood on end. It took her a long moment to realise that it wasn’t a reaction to the kiss.

The crackle of electricity sounded above them. Aura pulled back reluctantly, glancing up towards the sky. Bridget, too, looked up, her pretty face marred by a frown.

When the familiar purple electricity arced above them, the bottom dropped out of Aura’s stomach.

“Oh, crap,” Bridget muttered. Aura couldn’t agree more. What a time for Nemesis to make a reappearance.

Aura grabbed Bridget’s hand. “You should come inside. It’s not safe out here.”

Bridget shook her head and pulled back. “I can’t; I gotta go.”

With that, she turned and ran, ducking down the first side street she came across. As soon as she disappeared, Aura sprang into action. She hurried into her apartment—a cute, one bedroom at ground level—and began tearing off her hard chosen date clothes. She threw her glasses on the kitchen table, put on her mask, and raced out the back door. As she looked up at the unnaturally darkening sky, she hesitated.

Two competing thoughts ricocheted through her mind. One, she shouldn’t go up there. She should stay on the ground and let The Ember Dart do the hard work, in case Aura lost control again. What if this time she really hurt someone?

But another part of her brain was whispering something she didn’t dare think about. And it was the reason she was quite certain The Ember Dart was back.

Aura swallowed. She had to at least try.

Her first attempt at pushing the wind from her hands for lift only got her a few feet off the ground. Aura had to set her mind, determined and fierce, to get a proper lift off. By the time she was soaring towards Nemesis, she could see that he wasn’t alone. A familiar, red-costumed woman was darting around him.

The Ember Dart threw an elegant fireball towards him as she raced past. Rather than hitting Nemesis as Aura had expected, the flames were swallowed by some kind of energy field that Nemesis threw out.

Nerves froze Aura to the spot. What was she doing here? This was way above her pay grade. She was tempted to slink away, avoid getting herself into this fight, avoid hurting people. But at that moment, The Ember Dart spotted her as she whipped past. Aura saw the other woman’s eyes widen in shock behind her mask, and her suspicions were confirmed. She’d know those Irish-green eyes anywhere.

Bridget skidded to a stop in mid-air. “Aura?” she hissed.

Aura gave a jerky nod. She wanted to explain—or apologise—but she spotted a bolt of electricity speeding towards them. She gripped Bridget by the shoulders and tumbled them both out of the way. The move helped them avoid the deadly arc of electricity, but it pressed their bodies together as they both halted their fall.

“What are you doing here?” Bridget asked. She instinctively kept moving, making them a more difficult target for Nemesis.

“I could ask the same of you,” Aura joked. When Bridget only frowned, Aura sobered. “I needed to make sure you were safe.”

Bridget melted, her eyes softening and her body losing some of its tension. “Aura…”

Aura pressed on. “I can leave if you want. I know you probably don’t need my help, but I just wanted to be sure—” She broke off as Bridget grinned.

“Actually, I was getting a little worried. He’s got that new energy shield and my fireballs can’t seem to bypass it. What’s your power?”

“Storms; wind with some lightning. I can’t control it very well, though, and I’m worried…”

Aura trailed off as Bridget cupped her face with both hands, still moving them through the air to avoid Nemesis’s attacks. Aura barely noticed the swoops and dives, since she was too distracted by those in her stomach, as well as Bridget’s intense expression.

“You can do this, Aura. I’ll be right here with you.”

Aura hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”

Bridget smiled that wonderful, heart-fluttering smile. “Okay.”

As one, they turned towards Nemesis. He was ready with a bolt of electricity, but they dodged it easily. Aura held out her hand, and after a brief moment, a small storm burst forth from her palm.

“That’s good,” Bridget called over the sudden wind. “You got it!”

Buoyed by Bridget’s faith, Aura fed a little more power into the storm. She was still in control.

Slowly, at her urging, the storm grew large, whipping around them with a furious energy. It was almost at the edge of her control, so she stopped, allowing it to rage around them. She turned to Bridget.

“What now?”

“Tornado?” Bridget suggested.

Aura swallowed. Steeling herself, she nodded. Bridget’s comforting hand found its way into hers, and Aura fed from its strength. She held out her free hand, concentrating on what she needed the storm to do. Beside her, Bridget did the same.

As soon as the wind had curled itself into the familiar, swirling mass of a tornado, fire burst forth from Bridget’s palm and wrapped itself around the powerful tunnel of wind.

A fire tornado. If nothing else, it looked incredible; a vast column disappearing up into the sky. Aura could feel the heat radiating from it from where she floated.

Her hand shook in an effort to control the extra power. She should have expected it, but Bridget’s added fire made the tornado far more powerful. Almost too powerful.

She squeezed Bridget’s hand, focusing on its strength. Miraculously, she held onto the giant tornado, not letting it slip from her grasp like before. She sweated from the effort, but managed to keep control. The raging column consumed Nemesis, the wind sucking him up and the flames finishing him off.

When Aura was sure that he was gone, her whole body trembling from the effort to keep hold of the tornado, she consciously pulled back the power.

Slowly, so slowly, the flame-filled tornado began to shrink, until it completely disappeared.

Aura would have collapsed if it hadn’t been for Bridget’s hand clasping hers tightly.

“You did it,” Bridget said. Aura felt a soft kiss on her cheek, and turned towards the woman who was stealing her heart.

“I did, thanks to you.”

They didn’t let go of each other’s hands, even as they touched back down to Earth.


	2. Epilogue

“So, what should our superheroine team name be?” Bridget called from the kitchen.

Aura turned her head to peer over the back of the couch. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Bridget appeared in the doorway, wafting the smell of buttery popcorn toward Aura. She propped the big bowl she was carrying on her hip and came towards the couch, where Aura was ready with the DVD remote. Bridget flopped down beside her and handed her the bowl of popcorn. Her hand casually settled on Aura’s thigh, where it had found a home over the last few weeks they’d been dating.

“Since we are going to be saving the world together, we should have a team name,” Bridget clarified.

“You don’t want to use Tempest and The Ember Dart?” she asked, and tossed some popcorn into her mouth.

Bridget wrinkled her nose. “That sounds like I’m your sidekick.”

Aura raised a playful brow. “Would you rather  _ I _ be  _ your _ sidekick?”

Bridget gave her a fondly exasperated look. “Of course not. We’re equals.”

Aura’s insides melted. “Yeah,” she murmured, getting lost in Bridget’s eyes.

“So, what do you say? Embest? Tember?”

Aura snorted out a laugh. “Those are awful.”

“Dartest?  _ Tart _ ?” Bridget asked, unable to contain her giggle.

Aura laughed harder, clutching her stomach. “Please stop.”

Bridget grinned, unrepentant. “So what should it be?”

Aura took a deep breath, calming her laughter into a wide grin. “Ember Tempest, surely.”

A slow smile eased its way onto Bridget’s face. “Perfect,” she said.

Yes. It was.


End file.
